As the weather gets crisp a lot of people start getting down. I tell people all the time Winter Blues is real. It starts in the Fall. There are a number of reasons why. One of those things is that if you were getting your Summer body on, layers of clothes means you can eat your favorite foods and let your body go back to its pre-Summer self. Fall also brings on a lot of holidays and depending on how you navigate with family and friends you might find yourself becoming sad during this time as well. For example if you deal with anxiety and stress, and are more introvert than a lot of others around you, knowing you have to step it up and reach out to people you only see one tine a year, may create a level of anxiety that didn’t present itself in the Summer. You can always hide behind work until Thanksgiving comes along and everyone you know for the most part is off of work and with family. You can’t hide. It gets hard to mask your feelings. So instead of masking them, start dealing with them. If you are aware of your triggers it will assist you in getting the things in line that you will need. These are my ways of Fall proofing your entire life to get you through these next couple of months:
Prioritize your Needs
I say this often but self-care is daily. It’s not something you do just when life blows up and then you treat yourself out on the night on the town because hey, your life is falling apart. No, every day is about what I need to maintain. Do I need to come home and turn off social media because I have been scrolling all day and haven’t done one thing for me? Do I need to come home and cook a meal or two to create less time prepping every day and feeling burned out? Whatever it is during these next months,
figure those things and make a list and work towards it! I enjoy writing my goals down and if you are the type that doesn’t see the benefit of that, reconsider. Your goals are best completed when they are in the forefront of your mind and eyes. How can you walk without a plan?

Say No
You will get invited to so many social events. Trust me. From Halloween, church events, Thanksgiving, etc. there is going to have to be a no in your spirit. I know we love to hear yes, but sometimes there is power in NO! Stop spreading yourself thin in the Fall months. Fall is prep for Winter and we know all of the things that happen to our moods in the Winter that Fall is like the practice round. No you can’t bring another dish to another function. No you can’t come to another girl’s event when your friends ask because your friend is taxing your time but doesn’t adhere to yours. No you can’t spend another dollar because you are saving for vacation and can’t keep giving towards all of these events and be responsible. Adhere to yours. No you can’t spend another dollar because you are saving for vacation and can’t keep giving towards all of these events and be responsible.

Get Out
There are folks that are going to come around more in the Fall and you better be aware. This is the time where we lock down a Fall and Winter buddy aka Cuffing Season. Folks stop chasing skirts and want a cuddle buddy. These situationships are great if that’s all you want but they are a waste of resources if you are looking for a permanent love. Be careful who you entertain in this season. Know yourself. No one should be dating you if you don’t know yourself. There is no one who can come into your life and
even get to meet the real you if you haven’t taken the time to know you. Also if you are tired of work this is the time as we get closer to the New Year that people began to make that list of why they want to leave their jobs. Make sure you if you want to leave to have a backup plan. Also be sure it’s what you want and not based on a temporary feeling. Don’t let a joker run you off of your job and away from your coin for no mess.

Freeze your Assets
Fall is a signal of change. You will see this change in things such as trees, leaves, and weather. It can be a fun time if you are the type of person who likes to be out and about in the crisp air. It also means that it’s time to settle in. Like I said above a lot of smart people start moving money around if they are smart in preparation for the next year’s goals. So this means instead of getting jealous because of someone else’s ability to take all kinds of trips or their ability to go to functions, save. You know the holidays are
coming, the electric is going up, freeze your excessive spending. Get on a budget. This is necessary for you and your life. Get yourself in aligned. I know some folks that coupon and stockpile in the Fall in preparation for the Winter and that makes sense. I do more of it in the Fall as well because if snow comes I want certain things on deck just in case I am unable to get out of my house. Also a new season you need to be checking into things like your credit, your wholeness, and your mental state just to name a few areas to do a check into. All of these things should always be evaluated. I don’t get how people spend more time getting Fall boots but not worrying about resetting goals at EVERY
season. What are your dreams this season? What are you going to accomplish in this season? These things matter. Take yourself seriously! You are ever-changing. With change comes more responsibility. You don’t have to like going on hayrides, or dress up in costumes, but you have to get ready for the Winter and part of that means taking responsibility for you in all aspects of your life. Taking charge of your emotions as you enter this new season. You do need to continue to practice self-care. I wish you
well this season!

]]>https://digpimagazine.com/2018/11/30/prep-steps/feed/0diglyfe77WILL THE REAL BLACK PEOPLE STAND UP?https://digpimagazine.com/2018/11/29/will-the-real-black-people-stand-up/
https://digpimagazine.com/2018/11/29/will-the-real-black-people-stand-up/#respondThu, 29 Nov 2018 23:57:19 +0000http://digpimagazine.com/?p=608More WILL THE REAL BLACK PEOPLE STAND UP?]]>I sit here thinking about all of the things going on around me and I lament the present state of much of black America. I think back and I wonder where the descendants of my fore fathers are. Where are the black preachers who gave their all to the civil rights issues, who put life and limb on the line for the betterment of all of us? Where are all of the teachers who worked for a pittance so that black children could get an education? Where are all the mothers who considered any child mine and treated him or her that way? Where are all the fathers who worked menial jobs from sun-up to sun-down to put food on the table? Where is the pride that caused us to care about our appearance and that of our children? Where is the work ethic that helped many of us move into the middle class? Where is the pride that caused us to sing I’m black and I’m proud? We come from a long line of royalty from a people that had ancient plumbing systems when no one thought they existed. When did we lose our way?

Some of us don’t even seem to realize that we have lost our way. We think that this is all there ever was. When I was a child for all practical purposes there was no welfare. If there was any you weren’t going to get any. It didn’t matter, because no one wanted it anyway. We were a proud self sufficient people. We took care of our own. We may not have been rich but we lived as if it didn’t matter. The trucks came around every day at daybreak to collect people to go work all day in the hot sun and let me tell you North Carolina has some hot sun. If you didn’t have a housekeeping job or a job in the mill, you got on that truck. No seats to sit down you had to stand until you get off at the field. If you thought you were going to get hungry then you better have a tin lunch pail with yesterdays’ leftovers. If not you’ll be hungry until dinner. People didn’t complain because they were glad to be able to earn a few cents and trust me that’s all it was. People lived off that few cents and the few cents they could earn farming their land. They bought houses and land, maybe not the best but it was theirs and they owned it. Some people even had old rattrap cars that they kept running on a wing and a prayer. You never gave up and you kept on trying. When my mothers’ oldest sister went off to college, tuition was only fifty dollars a year, but that was a lot of money back then. It took a lot of sacrifice to do that. We were a tough people doing whatever it took to move our children ahead. Some people kept their children out of school to work in the fields but my grandmother didn’t. She knew even then that education was the answer. She did not intend for her children to have knobby hands from washing white peoples’ clothes. She wanted more and she got it. She saw four daughters graduate from college and go on to obtain masters degrees. When the civil right era ushered in parity for teachers, her children were poised to benefit from it. Most people became teachers or preachers or undertakers. These were the fields open to them. Many men went to the service as did my uncle and cousin who retired at an early age to go on and have other careers. They could have spent time lamenting all of the jobs they couldn’t get because they weren’t open to them but they didn’t. They took the opportunity open to them and they ran with it. We had black principals and black teachers who endeavored to make children learn, because they knew what they faced in the real world. I often say that integration was the worst thing that could have happened to black children. We left places where we were valued and expected to learn to go to places where we are categorized as not as bright before we get to the door of the school. A lot of that is racism but some of it lies squarely on the backs of the people who bear and are parenting these children. What did you teach your children to prepare them for school? Research shows clearly that white children enter school with a much larger vocabulary that black children, whose fault is that? When I was a child, there were no Laundromats, no electric irons and no central heating for that matter. I never wore dirty clothes, nor did I go anyplace with my hair not done. We never went anywhere that we weren’t dressed properly. The Hills were always decked out. We had to act like we were something even it didn’t seem like it at the time. We held our head proud and we acted like we were somebody important. It wasn’t money that gave us this attitude. It was a lady named Hattie Mae Nixon Hill, my grandmother. I always said my grandmother was recycling before anybody knew what it was. Nothing was wasted. My grandmother had sisters who worked as housekeepers in the north and they would send boxes of clothes that their employers no longer wanted. If it didn’t fit you when it came it did by the time Hattie and her old trusty pedal singer got through with it. Grama knew how to use it up, make it do, or do without. I had nylon slips when other kids were still wearing cotton because Grama cut the good parts out of the adult slips when they were worn. In the summer you had to plan for the winter. Harvest those crops, kill those hogs and build a potato bank. That was hard work. It wasn’t just run down to the corner store and get some potatoes. First of all there was no corner store and secondly even if there was it wasn’t walking distance and you might not have any money. Most of the people I knew were avid church goers and they had their “Sunday go to meetin clothes”. Many people walked long distances. The lady that was our Sunday school superintendent, you could have set your clock by her on Sunday as she went by to open the church and start the fire if necessary. I never heard her complain about how far she had to walk. She was glad to do it. We had standards then; there were some things you didn’t do. You didn’t beg like everyone does nowadays. We were a prideful people. We didn’t have lazy people who spent their whole lives on welfare like the world owes them something. Years ago people used to say “shall I park my car in front of Convent or Abyssinia to see the fashion show on Sunday morning?” It was a considered a faus pax to go out on Seventh Avenue on Sunday without being dressed. Harlem was the place to be. All of the little girls with their long pigtails and ribbons slowing in the wind, the boys with their crisp white shirts and ties. We were a proud people. Now we don’t go to church. We take Sunday for our laundry day. We sent our children out in weeks old cornrows. We send them to school in wrinkled and dirty clothes. We don’t know if they had homework or if it’s done. We expect the teacher to do our job. We go on back to bed if we ever got up in the first place. Instead of teaching our children that they are wonderful and fearfully made, we buy air Jordan’s so we can impress the neighbors who are as slothful as you are. Instead of teaching our children that you are as smart as anybody and you can be whatever you want, we spend time hanging with the rest of the neer do wells. Instead of trying to give our children experiences that will enhance their lives and well being, were trying to figure out how to go to “great adventure”. They call great adventure the” Ghetto Park”. Guess why? Instead of buying our children books that can help built their self esteem, we trying to get the next X-box game. Well I got news for you, the man that’s making the next X- box game, he’s already rich and he’s counting on the next money he’s getting from you. Instead of getting your ten year old a computer, you getting him an I-phone so he can practice killing things. When summer comes instead of finding something to occupy your child’s mind, you just let them hang out in the street with you. This maybe a news flash, but children learn what the live. If you hang in the street with all of the ne’er do wells, what do you think you’re teaching your kids. When you let your children wear clothes that looked like they just fell off the truck. You are saying to your child. Don’t value yourself, don’t be proud of who you are. Our children are worthy and we need to strive everyday to let them know that. Your children should feel like I’m God’s creation and God don’t make no junk. I got to look like I’m God’s creation. That doesn’t mean that he or she needs to have one hundred fifty dollar sneakers. I’m not saying that you should never buy designer clothes, but remember the designer is living off people like you and he has a nice house and a nice car. You should take great care to see that your child values himself and not manmade items. A child needs to feel confident in himself. If your child needs Jordan’s to feel good, what will he feel without them. It’s your job to raise your children to be smart, confident, educated and able to handle life. We have strayed so far from our roots. We think it’s alright to go out in pajamas, curlers etc. Where did that come from? That is not a legacy of proud black people. We are strong and we are invincible. If we weren’t we wouldn’t still be here. We were preserved for better than this. Our fore fathers endured all kinds of indignities so we could have a better future. They shed blood and what are we doing, collecting welfare, section 8 and standing on the corner which by the way you don’t own. Since when did it become honorable to have babies you have no intention of taking care of? Parents both men and women owe a debt to the children we bring in this world. You have no God given right to bring children into this world to live in poverty and want. By the way there is more to poverty than just money; there is poverty of the spirit and life. When you have no pride, when you have no ambition, when you are not striving to be better everyday than the day before, when your soul has dried up and withered, when wrong doing and unethical things become common place. How can there be joy in such an existence? Dolly Parton talks often about how poor she was as a child, but she speaks lovingly of the life they led. It inspired her to be the person she is today. We should be inspiring the next generation, not killing it before it has a chance to flourish. We don’t know what lies beneath the brain of these children. If we are not nurturing and cultivating it we will never know. I want the real Black people to stand up and be counted. Are you being counted?

. A house divided cannot stand and one thing I can’t stand for is injustice. When we stay saying this nation stands for freedom& bravery. But from history I see Constantine conquering with the cross which ties to Catholicism and racism Which connects to white supremacy slavery and police brutality. Are we really free in this fast food nation & the false religion which connects to the schools misinformation and to many of Gods children in the new slave plantation which is the jail. from T leave a comment if you FREE or seeking to be.

No one is exempt from mental health, and it can affect anyone at any time. The contributing factors can be from traumatizing experiences such as sexual, emotional, or physical abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and even genetics can play a role. As time goes on, these emotions gets more intense, happens more frequently, and soon those problems control lives. People think they can do it alone or they will go away, but it does not. Mental illness needs to be addressed, so preventive measures can be taken.

Mental health can affect anyone at any time regardless of his or her status in life. For example, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. These two celebrities appeared to be living the American dream but sadly took their lives in June 2018 by suicide. These tragedies garnered much media attention but also shed light on how mental illness affects victims, loved ones, and friends alike. It also shined a light on how people are suffering with deep embedded issues but are not reaching out for help.

I have heard people say, “Black people do not go through that”. That is not true. In society, it seems as if admitting to this, people has already been prejudged and are viewed as being insane. We all struggle with something in our lives daily, but embarrassment

can prevent people from speaking out. Mental health is just as important as our physical health and should be treated as such. Some symptoms to look for are stress, loss of interest in daily activities, loss of appetite, anxiety, hyperactivity, and thoughts of suicide. If someone is feeling sick, they go to the doctor; why should we not reciprocate and do the same if our mental health is in such a state?

Just from experience, I noticed that there are certain times when I feel like I do not want to get up to do anything or I feel like I am lagging behind in life. I have especially started paying attention to this when I see everyone moving on to other things and I am standing in that same position. These actions and thoughts are linked to symptoms of depression. In these times, I tend to speak to someone about it. They help me to reflect on what is good and positive in my life and how blessed I am. Another thing that helps me to overcome things is my faith. Going in prayer and being open and honest with God helps me so much and lifts me out of that negative mindset.

Mental health is now finally getting the attention it deserves as awareness is now being conveyed through different sources of media. There are counseling centers and hotlines available, and they are confidential. For anyone who is experiencing depression, anxiety, or any other symptoms that indicates severe changes in mood reach out to NYC WELL. They can be reached at 1-888-NYC-WELL or text “WELL” to 65173. All calls are confidential. Not seeking help is detrimental to one’s health and always remember that it always take another hand to lift you up.

I am black, a woman, a homosexual, militant, and a republican . . . I suffer from mental illness, come from a single parent home, and grew up on welfare a good deal of my childhood. I have several bibles, a Quran, and a Pentateuch in my home and I read them all. I am an anomaly I guess I’ll let all that sink in for a minute . . . or two . . . By our current American labeling standards all these things in one person, one body are unamerican, go against the grain and the tapestry of what the powers that be say is truly American. It took me a long time to be okay with all those things and not answer to the likes of the so-called standard bearers around me dictate.

This issue is about the SELF. With all the past events that have passed in the last few months, with Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain taking their lives I thought it would be important to talk about how we can be okay being who we are no matter how “un-American” it may seem, no matter how out of the box we are. We often have a hard time accepting who we are and what we are. In the world that we live in it is a heavy load to bear to conform to the standards of this world. Especially when we look at the world in which people of color live in. Our mental health is important and what we feed grows. The world we live in has become more and more polarized, but depression and mental illness has no color and takes prisoners of all races, genders, creeds, sexual orientations, and religions. So, although we may make mention of statistics along color lines that is only to bring attention to just how much trouble this country is in and how much more we need to work together based on the war against illness wages.

Our research found that in extremely impoverished neighborhoods that there was a 36% risk of attempting suicide amongst our black youth by the time they reached 20.

Suicidal behavior may be more prevalent than previous reported for our youth. For children who had reported being victims of violence by the age of nine they were 70% more likely to attempt suicide than those not victimized. The risk was associated with the belief that violence was inevitable. And for children who perpetrated violence they were found to have higher suicide risk attempts.

Those statistics include youth, impoverished neighborhoods and suicide but what we find is that for older adult’s in black communities suicide does not always present as a way to deal with depression, the hardness of life in being black and the perils that come along with it but mental illness and hardship often goes untreated. We wanted to highlight those very things.

So, we decided to celebrate the walks of everyday people. We fight everyday to sink or swim to accomplish our goals and make our dreams come true. The SELF is an important part of who we are, it makes up our humanity, our soul, our mind, our body, our hopes, our dreams, our disappointments . . . through every pitfall and moment that we overcome it is a testimony to our resiliency a perfect story to tell and re-tell. We are told often that our accomplishments come only without struggle, without failure and sadness, but truth is the success of our lives come from those very things despite. Every issue from now until the end of the year we will chronicle a large feature and several small features of people living their everyday dreams and working towards their dreams everyday despite the battles they have encountered in their lives. I am hoping you will draw inspiration and encouragement from these issues coming from our LEGACY Series. We will be focusing on the SELF and how to make it grow and prosper in every way possible, and in the atmosphere that we live in today we all need as much of that as possible.

In this month’s article I had all intentions on completely writing about the 2018 soccer World Cup but the NBA free agency moves have shocked the entire world. Here is a quick update on the World Cup in a few sentences for those who are a little disappointed. The two greatest players in the world and of this millennium (Messi and Ronaldo) were knocked out in the round of 16! The favorite to win the World Cup (Germany) didn’t make it into the round of 16 and the second team with the highest odds to win the tourney (Spain) was knocked out in the round of 16 by what was assumed by many to be a below mediocre home team Russia. Lastly, Neymar Jr and his antics were the favorite to win the World Cup, while Neymar was putting his run in for the best soccer player in the world, but Belgium ruined that with a 2-1 win in the quarter finals. France then beat Croatia 4-2 in an amazing World Cup final. The young French star Mbappa made history by becoming the only teenager to score in a World Cup final since the great Brazilian legend Pele.

Of course, this all has almost been lost by the recent NBA free agency news. The NBA always had the tendency to steal headlines like the thief in the night. Just behind the NFL, the NBA always seems to have earth breaking news even during its offseason and this year they definitely didn’t let us down. With the Cleveland Cavaliers getting swept in the NBA finals, all eyes where on the “King” as he entered free agency. Questions loomed all season on if Lebron would stay with the Cavs or take is talents elsewhere.

Paul George started the major moves by re-signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder with a four-year, $137million max contract. When everyone was almost sure he was going to his hometown LA to play with the Lakers, George caught almost everyone by surprise with this deal saying he had some “Unfinished Business” in OKC. I’m pretty sure playing with the talents of Russell Westbrook had a lot to do with his decision. OKC have released Melo to look for another team to play for, which is not surprising after his last season performance, well lack of performance. The top candidates to land Melo are the Houston Rockets, LA Lakers, NY Knicks can bring Melo back home or the Miami Heat.

After Paul George’s signing the NBA dominoes began to fall. Chris Paul re-signed with the Houston Rockets four-years, $160M. Next was DeAndre Jordan, after verbally agreeing to a contract with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015 then reneging and signing back with the Clippers, this time Dallas can take the deep breath as they sign the athletic center to a one-year, $24M deal. Then the big news came when the announcement was made “King” James will be joining the Ball family and the Lakers with a four-year, $154M deal. Personally, the best choice I believe James had. He did what he had to do for Cleveland and being around a bunch of bench players were not going to help him. The Sixers were to stacked with young all-stars but not enough pure shooters to put around Lebron, which also would have clashed with James and Ben Simmons on the floor at the same time since they are both ball dominate. Houston was never a real option if we want to be honest. So the Lakers had the only real chance to attract James, with young upcoming talents in Lonzo, Ingram and Kuzma; which Lebron can teach and mentor in his latter years while still building and contending in the playoffs. Is LA a championship contender as of now? By no means they are but this will bring “Showtime” back to LA and make them a playoff team again. This is not the only move Magic Johnson and the Lakers organization made this offseason. To help Lebron out they brought in NBA champions Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee both on a one-year deal. Also joining LA is the self-proclaimed “Lebron kryptonite” Lance Stevenson. Stevenson is a great move for the Lakers because he is a tough hardnose defender who is not afraid of anyone (product of NY) and will knock down shots, which Lebron will love to play with.

Finalizing signings for the week, Aaron Gordon re-signed with Magic on a four-year deal. Avery Bradly agreed to a two-year, $25M deal with the Clippers. Devin “Majin Buu” Booker re-sign with the Phoenix Suns on a Max deal for five-years, $158M. Lastly and probably the most surprising signing so far, came when DeMarcus Cousins signed with the already stacked Golden State Warriors, with a one-year, $5.3M deal. Give them the Championship now!!! Why even watch or play this basketball season when the reining NBA champions have now added another all-star to their squad now giving them five IN THE STARTING LINEUP! Not only that but they are also looking to sign “Mr. Six Man” Jamal Crawford. Golden State is not taking their foot off the basketball peddle. This has people questioning the competitiveness of the NBA and players of this generation, also is this the way teams are going to look to create their roster. The thought of Super-Teams!

This summer has been very entertaining in sports and this is just the midpoint, I’m sure we the fans can’t wait to see what’s still to come. By the way Kawhi Leonard has now been traded LOL. The former NBA 2-time defensive player of the year and Finals MVP is now a Toronto Raptor. The trade sent Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Raptors, while the Spurs received DeMar DeRozan, center Jakob Poeltl and a protected first-round pick in 2019. Who is the real winner of this trade, I have no idea, but I know the Raptors only have a year with Kawhi Leonard who has expressed many times that he wants where his home town colors Purple and Gold. We will see what happens next year but as for this year as for the fans and everybody, we want to see the fireworks keep exploding!

]]>https://digpimagazine.com/2018/07/27/the-thief-in-the-night/feed/0diglyfe77the BIRD Revelationhttps://digpimagazine.com/2018/03/14/the-bird-revelation-2/
https://digpimagazine.com/2018/03/14/the-bird-revelation-2/#respondWed, 14 Mar 2018 17:00:29 +0000http://digpimagazine.com/?p=557More the BIRD Revelation]]>I watched Dave Chappelle’s “equanimity” and “the bird revelation”, and like usual he was cutting edge and funny. His comedy involved everyday cracks at our current dealings with the LGBT community, racism, politics, and voting. He gave us the opportunity to not only laugh at ourselves but at him.

Entering our second year of the Trump administration who has almost single-handedly dismantled any progression we made under President Barack Obama we need some laughter. some suspect he is re-ordering the legacy of Obama some may think it is because he’s racist, some may think it’s because he’s an egotist, perhaps its both. One thing for sure whatever the reason we know that the result of his actions will affect a lot of people. I mention Dave Chappelle because he made a poignant observation. He retold the story of one of Americas greatest shames, the story of Emmett Till’s gruesome murder. For those less familiar, he was the 14-year-old young black teenager from Chicago who went to Money, Mississippi to visit his relatives and was murdered. Upon visiting he had been a patron of the store where a young white woman Carolyn Bryant was a cashier, the same woman who later accused young Till of whistling at her. Two days later he was dragged out of and kidnapped from his relative’s home and murdered by Bryant’s husband and half-brother. They beat the teenager brutally, dragged him to the bank of the Tallahatchie River, shot him in the head, tied him with barbed wire to a large metal fan and shoved his mutilated body into the water. His mother wanted the nation to see what had been done to her son.

His face and body had been gruesomely abused. That image took up pages in magazines and newspapers all over the nation. This was pivotal in this nation’s history. For many this was an influential moment. White America was getting to see what the life and times were like for people of color. Some things came together in terms of change because these white men took “justice” into their own hand and the rest of America couldn’t hide the murders of us anynore. They played judge, jury and executioner. Even if it was for nothing more than whistle. A very courageous woman decided that the country she loved as her own, had not loved her or her son back. And she bravely showed America its face by sharing her greatest pain at what was probably her most vulnerable moment, and though we did not perfect what came next, but we worked because of that beautiful pain. It put a face to turmoil, pain, marginalization, terror, and everyday life of blacks throughout the United States. It effected whites, & blacks, it effected Americans, so much so people felt the need to work for a better and brighter America. Had this young boy not been murdered, and had his mother not shared it, we would be worlds away from the America we inhabit now. Now that’s not to say our country is perfect. It is far from it, between calling Mexicans rapists, Muslims terrorists, African-Americans/blacks lazy, jailbirds who are ungrateful to our oppressors for the gift of affirmative action to the issue of “white” disenfranchisement, we have a long way to go. But what is not lost on me is Chappelle’s observation that that hideous ugliness made us aware of better. For all Trump’s ridiculousness, and his obvious murdering of what being an American with a dream should be, he is our savior. He is our hope, our greatest potential for change. And you may say how? But it is simple, he represents so brightly what is so wrong with this country. It is weighed down with baggage as heavy as the large metal fan they hung around Emmett Till’s neck. Everything that we see is like the rotting bloated flesh that Till’s mother exposed us to. We are rotting from the inside out.

And like the young white woman who grew to a ripe old age and confessed on her death bed that Till never whistled at her, we, us, Americans will have to come clean, and clear this nations conscience. Like her we cannot go back and change the lie that bore murder, but it can set us f

I have a shirt that has Biggie’s famous Life After Death cover art on it with a biblical scripture underneath it. I’ll post a picture of it below. The creator thought outside the box on this one. Imagine what the original thoughts were when he decided to make that the title. I’m sure most thought that he was morbid, possibly even encouraging violence among young black men. But those who are familiar with his interview about that title understood what the creator of this t-shirt understood, and that is that in order for us to live and keep growing we have to do what our skin does every day, and that is shed that which is dead and take care of that which is alive. We usually wait for New Years to do this and call them resolutions, but one does not need to do that. We need only look at what is working in our life and what is not and shed that which is dead in us. We never look at killing a part of ourselves off as a good thing, but that could be the best thing that ever happens to us. When a part of the body suffers gangrene, it means that blood flow has stopped travelling to that limb. The doctors usually amputate this thinking the body is trying to save itself. They chop it off with the premise that this is killing the patient we need to let it go. You ever have something that is killing you? Killing a piece of you a minute, a day, a second at a time. Isn’t it amazing that the body knows how to save itself? We know how to save ourselves too. We too can shed our dead skin, give ourselves Life After Death. Give ourselves Hope after the Storm.

]]>https://digpimagazine.com/2018/03/02/life-after-death/feed/0diglyfe77Getting to the Root of Changehttps://digpimagazine.com/2018/01/15/getting-to-the-root-of-change/
https://digpimagazine.com/2018/01/15/getting-to-the-root-of-change/#respondMon, 15 Jan 2018 21:37:44 +0000http://digpimagazine.com/?p=543More Getting to the Root of Change]]>By Tracey Parker

As we approach 2018, it is a custom for people to start planning their New Year’s resolutions. We hear things such as, “I am going to buy a house this year”, “I am going to lose weight”, or “This year I will clear up my debt”. These things are great things to stride for and achieve, but there is more to saying them and doing it. Many times we make these resolutions, but at the end of the year, we have not even achieved one. We have to learn to ‘un peel the onion’ and get to the root of why things are not as successful as we like. This root, this seed, which helps us to achieve is the power of changing your thoughts.

Thoughts dictate our behavior, our actions, and can even determine what kind of day we have. Our thoughts have so much power that it manifest in our lives, whether they or negative or positive. We may have been struggling with things and want to do better. We can wish all we want but the thought along with actions is what brings about a difference. The bottom line is faith, which is what we believe will happen, without the work is dead.

One way to help us achieve what we want is to write down that thought. Our thoughts tend to be fleeting on its own sometimes, while being accompanied with the demands of life itself. Another way is repetition. Wake up in the morning focused on your goals and as you go throughout the day just remind yourself on what you aim to do. Lastly avoid anything or anybody that will force you to go against your plans for the year. This may be a bit difficult, only because we see the danger and we do have that thought for a moment (“I know I can’t have this pizza I am trying to lose weight, but a slice won’t hurt”). What happens? We engage in that moment that is detrimental to our goals thinking that we can make it up later. That thought of later prolongs our progress and before we know it that time line we made for ourselves has come and nothing was done.

This is the year to change things and put things in perspective. Stop thinking that you cannot, but think you can. Stop saying it is hard, when in actuality your thoughts are tricking you into believing that nothing can be done. A negative or positive thought can determine if you are going to sit there and along in the current or if you are finally going to get up take hold of the wheel. As you focus on your positive thoughts daily, you will began to see things change gradually. It will become easier and those obstacles you have been fighting with will begin to overturn in your favor.

]]>https://digpimagazine.com/2018/01/15/getting-to-the-root-of-change/feed/0diglyfe77An Open Letter to Americahttps://digpimagazine.com/2017/11/06/an-open-letter-to-america/
https://digpimagazine.com/2017/11/06/an-open-letter-to-america/#respondMon, 06 Nov 2017 20:11:22 +0000http://digpimagazine.com/?p=526More An Open Letter to America]]>In God We Trust, but in fear we reside. Langston said a dream deferred dries up like a raisin or festers like a sore, and fester is what our country is doing. I have often defied the label of idealist, for a long time I thought I was someone who thought of myself as someone who saw the glass as half empty. And I have been that person. For a long time I had that attitude after a near death experience. It was a life devoid of joy, happiness stewing in my despair, disdain and pessimism . I was bitter, and displeased with humanity. Because of that accident I became more patient with humanity and what it means to be human. So, it is from this place, the place that I have I write this open letter.

Dear America,

And when I say dear America I mean all of America, the America that houses Neo-Nazi’s, white nationalists, Pan-Africanists, black nationalists, white knights, Asians who are mad about being confused with being natural mathematicians, Hispanics who aren’t really Hispanic, but are south American, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans . . . to those who we found here, America calls them Native Americans and Indians, when they are the indigenous people of this land. The America that includes the stolen land of Mexicans who we ask to prove that they are worthy of living in a land that belonged to them once, decades, years, centuries ago. The America that includes the immigrants that people assume are “natives, the indigenous” white immigrants, the Irish, the English, the Czechs, the Italians, the Germans, the America that is only America because of all the strains of culture I have included in this letter.

Dear America,

It would be nice if you could make whites understand what it is like to be born in a skin that is ostracized and degraded and demeaned from the moment you can take a breath on your own, but we can’t. It would be nice to understand the pain that middle, and working class white men and women feel because they feel like they are being outmaneuvered in “their” own country, but the pain of being of color keeps us from seeing that. It would be nice to decide that Mexicans should just stay where they are because they are not welcomed, but they also probably would hope you could understand the despair that must include leaving everything you know, your friends and family, all because you have envisioned there is a place where you can give your child and family the best opportunity. It would be nice if we could understand why economics so often is decided by race, why black men, and the indigenous are three times more likely to die at the hands of police than white men though they only make up sixteen percent of the population in this country. It would be nice if the rich and wealthy understood that trickle-down economics doesn’t work whether you’re white, Asian, black, or Hispanic. Imagine a world where it was not vital for us all to agree, but just understand.

I understand that southerners revere their history, that those very monuments that are being taken down all over the country has sentimental meaning. But if they could only see and feel others’ pain of having leaders either exterminated or kept out of history books keeps the average person of color from being able to identify or even want to listen to that. For my white Americans your hero reminds us of a time that kept us in bondage against our will, a history you will never know anything about. The lack of understanding causes others pain, this will be the death of our America. My black people if we do not allow white people to be themselves, white, we will never progress as a nation, and yes being a Pan-Africanist sounds great . . . except for one thing, there is no Pan-African land to inhabit. Fact is you’re stuck with white people. See when white people say something you think is “racist” the answer is not to get all bent out of shape because they uttered it, without the frank honesty there can never be a way to get to the core of the problem. Instead of calling for everyone’s resignation and marching perhaps we need to try some different things. Now don’t get me wrong, do I want to go black panther, hell yea, but I know that the hole in the titanic didn’t sink the side with the hole, it sunk the whole ship.

Most people have one thing in common no matter what the color of their skin, the job they hold, the religion they practice or sexual orientation and that is that their family and their children have the best of everything. That their children and family be safe.

I don’t need a white nationalist to like me, but what a white nationalist needs to realize is what is and isn’t realistic, I don’t need white people to agree with how it feels to be black, but what America needs is for one side of the aisle to listen to the other. If we don’t, this country will sink, rich, wealthy, working class, middle upper, impoverished, working poor, black, Hispanic, white, indigenous, Asian . . . you won’t have to worry about a stock market, or if the latest car is good on gas, this country will go up in flames.

Dear America, you are coming apart at the seams with no plan, on a replacement garment to inhabit. This America where we stand, sit, kneel and salute is the only land we have. Like a sinking boat, we live and die together there is no us vs. them, you vs. me, white vs. black, Puerto Ricans vs Dominican, Trinidadian vs Jamaican , there is only the future for or children that we hope will treat them .